Pressure Scale Research Articles

The Relationship Between Peer Pressure With Bullying Behavior In Early Adolescents

Bullying is a problem that often occurs worldwide, especially in the school environment and will cause various impacts. The effects of bullying on children include physical impacts (bruised and full of wounds) and psychological impacts (children are reluctant to go to school, feel embarrassed, and feel pressured). Peers greatly influence the occurrence of bullying behaviour in early adolescents. In the school environment, early teens always spend time with peers. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between peer pressure and bullying behaviour in early adolescents. This research method uses a descriptive-analytic with cross-sectional approach. The population in this study was the early adolescent of the junior high school students (SMPN 2 Tarogong Kidul Garut Regency), which obtained a sample of 88 students using the proportionate stratified random sampling technique. This study used the Peer Pressure Scale (PPS) and Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) instruments. The analysis in this study uses univariate analysis to determine the frequency distribution and bivariate analysis using the Chi-Square test. The results in this study stated that there was a significant relationship between peer pressure and bullying behaviour (p-value=0.021). Therefore, nurses need to educate early teens about bullying behaviour and the importance of healthy peer relationships.

The Influence of Self-Esteem and Peer Pressure on Career Choice of Adolescents in Greater Accra, Ghana

The study examined the influence of self-esteem and Peer pressure on the career choice of adolescents. The purpose was to determine the relationship between Peer pressure and career choice, the relationship between self-esteem and career choice, and compare the influence of self-esteem and Peer pressure on adolescent boys and girls. Cross-sectional and descriptive was the research design. Cluster sampling was used to select four schools, and stratified proportional, and simple random sampling was used to select 200 respondents. Rosenberg self-esteem, Peer pressure, and career decision scales were used to collect data from 200 Senior High School students in selected schools in the Greater Accra region Ghana. Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were the statistical tools for the analysis of data. The results indicate that self-esteem positively correlates with the career choice of adolescents. Peer pressure positively correlates career choices of adolescents. There is no gender differences in Peer pressure and career choice of adolescents. Challenges of career choice among adolescents include the lack of career guidance, the influence of family, general indecisiveness, the desire to pursue a career that earns much, and the opinion of their peer concerning career choice.

Predictive Factors of Ventilatory Support in Chest Trauma.

This study aims to define possible predictors of the need of invasive and non-invasive ventilatory support, in addition to predictors of mortality in patients with severe thoracic trauma. Data from 832 patients admitted to our trauma center were collected from 2010 to 2017 and retrospectively analyzed. Demographic data, type of respiratory assistance, chest injuries, trauma scores and outcome were considered. Univariate analysis was performed, and binary logistic regression was applied to significant data. The injury severity score (ISS) and the revised trauma score (RTS) were both found to be predictive factors for invasive ventilation. Multivariate analysis of the anatomical injuries revealed that the association of high-severity thoracic injuries with trauma in other districts is an indicator of the need for orotracheal intubation. From the analysis of physiological parameters, values of systolic blood pressure, lactate, and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score indicate the need for invasive ventilatory support. Predictive factors for non-invasive ventilation include: RTS, ISS, number of rib fractures and presence of hemothorax. Risk factors for death were: age over 65, the presence of bilateral rib fractures, pulmonary contusion, hemothorax and associated head trauma. In conclusion, the need for invasive ventilatory support in thoracic trauma is associated to the patient’s systemic severity. Non-invasive ventilation is a supportive treatment indicated in physiologically stable patients regardless of the severity of thoracic injury.

Role of Fracture Liaison Service Program in Reducing Refracture Rate in the Elderly Osteoporotic Trauma Patients Presenting With Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Six-Year Study.

As the elderly population of the United States and the world increases, so does the incidence of osteoporotic fragility fractures from a fall or minor injury. This results in a large cost to the health care system. This cost is further increased as more than 50% of individuals will have refractures within the first year. In order to reduce the refracture rate in such patients, we enrolled our elderly trauma patients with vertebral compression fractures and vertebral augmentation in a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) clinic for two years and reevaluated their refracture rate. This is a retrospective analysis of 720 patients. 142 patients (Group A) were seen between 2012 and 2014 before establishing the FLS program and 578 patients (Group B) were seen between 2015 and 2020 after implementation of the FLS program. The patients enrolled in the FLS program were followed for two years after sustaining a vertebral compression fracture. The data collected included age, sex, serum calcium and vitamin D levels, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, 10-year fracture risk (FRAX) score, pressure measurements in PSI taken during vertebral augmentation, as well as the refracture rate. The data collected were analyzed and compared between the two groups using the Student's t-test and chi-square test. There was significant reduction in the refracture rate of pre-FLS vs post-FLS vertebral, as well as other fractures in the FLS group (pre-FLS: 48.9% vs post-FLS: 37.0%; P = .01). There was no significant difference between groups A and B in regard to the mean serum level of calcium (9.44mg/dL vs 9.53mg/dL), vitamin D level (35.04ng/mL vs 41.39ng/mL), DXA scan for spine (-.52 vs -.76) and for femur (-1.77 vs -1.52), and 10-year refracture risk for osteoporotic major fracture (FRAX score-mean: 22.6% vs 19.2%) and for hip fracture (9.18% vs 7.53%). There was a significant difference in the mean age between the groups (79.5 vs 73.5 years; P = .01). Of those who underwent vertebral augmentation, 235 had Pressure Scale Index (PSI) measurements taken. There was a trend in increasing refracture rate when PSI ≤199 compared with those who had PSI ≥200, although statistical significance was not met (33.9% vs 27.0%, P = .21). A Fracture Liaison Service program will improve the bone health of geriatric osteoporotic patients presenting to the trauma service with vertebral compression fractures and thus reduces the subsequent refracture rate. Further study is needed to evaluate the best PSI used to impact reduction in refracture rate.

The Scaling of Blood Pressure and Volume

The cardiovascular system is an apparatus of mass convection, and changes in organismic size impart changes in variables of this system, namely scaling effects. Blood flow depends on pressure and conductance, and the maintenance of flow results in entropy production, that is, loss of available work. In terms of scaling, it is well known that blood pressure is kept constant while blood volume varies linearly with body mass. Yet, such expected rules have never been proven. The present study shows that these scaling rules derive from the simultaneous optimization of blood flow and entropy production in circulation and how these impact the transition from ecto- to endotermy. Thus, for the first time in almost a century of data collection, these observed relationships are explained from a theoretical standpoint. The demonstration presented herein is a building block to form a solid basis for the other scaling rules of the cardiovascular system as well as of other organic systems. The approach is of wide interest in any area where generalized flow is analyzed in terms of system optimization, giving a broad perspective on change in either engineered or naturally evolving systems.

High-resolution parameter study of the vertical shear instability – II: dependence on temperature gradient and cooling time

ABSTRACT A certain appeal to the alpha model for turbulence and related viscosity in accretion discs was that one scales the Reynolds stresses simply on the thermal pressure, assuming that turbulence driven by a certain mechanism will attain a characteristic Mach number in its velocity fluctuations. Besides the notion that there are different mechanism driving turbulence and angular momentum transport in a disc, we also find that within a single instability mechanism, here the vertical shear instability, stresses do not linearly scale with thermal pressure. Here, we demonstrate in numerical simulations the effect of the gas temperature gradient and the thermal relaxation time on the average stresses generated in the non-linear stage of the instability. We find that the stresses scale with the square of the exponent of the radial temperature profile at least for a range of dlog T/dlog R = [−0.5, −1], beyond which the pressure scale height varies too much over the simulation domain, to provide clear results. Stresses are also dependent on thermal relaxation times, provided they are longer than 10−3 orbital periods. The strong dependence of viscous transport of angular momentum on the local conditions in the disc (especially temperature, temperature gradient, and surface density/optical depth) challenges the ideas of viscosity leading to smooth density distributions, opening a route for structure (ring) formation and time variable mass accretion.

A Micromachined Resonant Micro-Pressure Sensor

This article presents a micromachined resonant micro-pressure sensor, which consists of a SOI wafer for pressure sensing and a glass cap for vacuum packaging. More specifically, two resonators fabricated in device layer of SOI wafer were positioned around the center and border of pressure-sensitive diaphragm respectively with the purposed of transforming pressure. Simulations based on finite element analysis were applied to the design and optimization of the micro-pressure sensor where technical issues correlated with mechanical coupling and overloading were addressed properly. The micro-pressure sensors were fabricated by silicon based bulk-micromachining processes, and characterized by both open-loop and closed-loop testing. The characterization results revealed quality factors higher than 25000 in full pressure (0.05 kPa to 10 kPa) and temperature (-40°C to 85°C) scales, and at least 12 times of anti-overload capabilities for developed sensors. The differential pressure sensitivities were quantified as 615.47±9.82 Hz/kPa (-40°C), 589.56±4.34 Hz/kPa (15°C) and 561.70 ±8.75 Hz/kPa (85°C) respectively, as well the repeatability, hysteresis, and nonlinearity were calculated as 0.0485±0.0032%, 0.0299±0.0018%, and 0.0493±0.0025% respectively for the developed sensors. Meanwhile, the maximum fitting deviations were quantified within ±5.24 Pa in full pressure (0.05 kPa to 10 kPa) and temperature (-40°C to 85°C) scales, demonstrating accuracies of 0.0524% full scale, further indicating that the developed sensor is a potential candidate in the field of micro-pressure measurements.

Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rol Tutumları ile Akran Baskısı Yaşama Durumları Arasındaki İlişki

Objectives: This research was carried out to determine the relationship between social gender role attitudes of students studying at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Health Sciences and peer pressure situations. Materials and Methods: This study, performed in accordance with the descriptive research principles seeking a relationship was conducted with a total of 1115 students (82.6% of the target population of the study) studying at Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Health Sciences in the fall semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. "Presentation form", "Gender Roles Attitude Scale" and "Peer Print Scale" as data collection tools were used. While research data was being evaluated, number, percentage and Ki-Square (X²) test, Kruskal Wallis (KW) and Mann Whitney U tests were used. Findings: The total median of the students' gender role attitudes scale was 115 (min-max = 34-158) and the students had an egalitarian attitude. The peer scale had a median of 42 (min-max=33-167). There was not a meaningful relationship between students' gender role attitudes and peer pressure status (r=0,007; p>0,05) statistically. The peer pressure scale and the egalitarian gender role were negatively correlated (r = -0,068; p <0.05), the male gender role was positively correlated and hence it was found that there was a significantly weak level (r = 0.202; p <0.001). Conclusion: It was found that students have an egalitarian attitude towards gender roles, and the peer pressure on students is low. It may be suggested to add these subjects to the education curriculum to give university students an egalitarian gender attitude and to raise awareness about peer pressure.

Prehospital Hemorrhage Assessment Criteria: A Concise Review.

Early assessment of the clinical status of trauma patients is crucial for guiding the treatment strategy, and it requires a rapid and systematic approach. The aim of this report is to critically review the assessment parameters currently used in the prehospital setting to quantify blood loss in trauma. Studies regarding hemorrhagic shock in trauma were pooled from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases using key words such as "hemorrhagic shock," "vital signs evaluation," "trauma," "blood loss," and "emergency medical service," alone or combined. Articles published since 2009 in English and Italian were considered eligible if containing data on assessment parameters in blood loss in adults. Sixteen articles matching the inclusion criteria were considered in our study. Current prehospital assessment measures lack precise correlation with blood loss. Traditional assessment parameters such as heart rate, systolic blood pressure, shock index, and Glasgow Coma Scale score often lag in providing accurate blood loss assessment. The current literature supports the need for a noninvasive, continuously monitored assessment parameter to identify early shock in the prehospital setting.

Hubungan antara Tekanan Teman Sebaya dan Gaya Hidup dengan Perilaku Seksual Mahasiswa Laki-laki

This study aims to determine the relationship between peer pressure and lifestyle with the sexual behaviour of male students. This study used cluster random sampling with 325 male undergraduate students from University X aged 18-22 years as respondents. The instruments used were the sexual behaviour scale (α=0.934), the peer pressure scale (α=0.940), and the lifestyle scale (α=0.955). The results showed that there was a significant relationship between peer pressure and lifestyle with sexual behaviour (Fcount=26,386 and p=0.000, p<0.05) with a total effective contribution of 14.1%, there was a significant positive relationship between peer pressure and sexual behaviour (r = 0.257, p = 0.000) with an effective contribution of 6%, and there is a significant positive relationship between lifestyle and sexual behaviour (r = 0.295, p = 0.000) with an effective contribution of 8.1%.

Inferring material properties of the lower mantle minerals using Mixture Density Networks

Interpretation of information available from seismic data in terms of temperature and composition requires an understanding of the physical properties of minerals, in particular, the elastic properties of candidate Earth minerals at the relevant (here, lower mantle) pressure and temperature. A common practice for the bulk elastic properties is to measure volume at a range of pressures and temperatures using experiments or computational methods. These datasets are then typically fit to a pre-determined functional form, or equation of state to allow computation of elastic properties at any other pressure or temperature. However, errors, both random and systematic, limitations in the number of data and choice of pressure marker and scale, as well as different functional forms of equations of state, all contribute to the uncertainties in mineral seismic properties. In an attempt to present a more comprehensive view of these uncertainties, we use neural-network based techniques to infer the relationship among: pressure, temperature, volume, bulk modulus, and thermal expansivity of MgO. We illustrate our approach on experimental data, but an extension to ab initio data is straightforward. The type of neural network used is called a Mixture Density Network (MDN) which is a combination of a conventional feed-forward neural network and a mixture model that consists of Gaussian functions. MDNs are capable of approximating arbitrary probability density functions, which allows us to compute the uncertainties in the predicted equations of state. Since the networks interpolate locally between input samples, pressure-volume-temperature relations are implicitly learned from data without imposing any explicit thermodynamic assumptions or ad-hoc relationships. We use the partial derivatives of the mapping between inputs (pressure and temperature) and output (volume) to compute the isothermal bulk modulus and thermal expansivity. Flexibility of the MDNs allows us to investigate the uncertainty due to certain data in one region of pressure-temperature space without influencing the posterior probability density everywhere. In general, we find that the elastic properties of MgO are well-constrained by experimental data. However, our study highlights regions in which sparse or inconsistent data lead to poorly constrained elastic properties, namely: at low pressure and high temperature (<25GPa and >1500K), and temperatures above 2700K. While the former conditions are likely not important for the Earth's lower mantle, they are relevant in other planetary bodies such as the Moon and Mars. Comparison with conventional equation of state forms shows that assuming a certain functional form of the pressure-volume-temperature relationship leads to potential bias in uncertainty quantification, because the uncertainties are then specific to the underlying form. In combination with data sets of other lower mantle minerals, this technique should improve uncertainty quantification in interpretations of seismic data.

Indentation responses of pressurized ellipsoidal and cylindrical elastic shells: Insights from shallow-shell theory.

Pressurized elastic shells are ubiquitous in nature and technology, from the outer walls of yeast and bacterial cells to artificial pressure vessels. Indentation measurements simultaneously probe the internal pressure and elastic properties of thin shells and serve as a useful tool for strength testing and for inferring internal biological functions of living cells. We study the effects of geometry and pressure-induced stress on the indentation stiffness of ellipsoidal and cylindrical elastic shells using shallow-shell theory. We show that the linear indentation response reduces to a single integral with two dimensionless parameters that encode the asphericity and internal pressure. This integral can be numerically evaluated in all regimes and is used to generate compact analytical expressions for the indentation stiffness in various regimes of technological and biological importance. Our results provide theoretical support for previous scaling and numerical results describing the stiffness of ellipsoids, reveal a new pressure scale that dictates the large-pressure response, and give new insights to the linear indentation response of pressurized cylinders.

In Situ High-Pressure Synthesis of New Outstanding Light-Element Materials under Industrial P-T Range.

High-pressure synthesis (which refers to pressure synthesis in the range of 1 to several GPa) adds a promising additional dimension for exploration of compounds that are inaccessible to traditional chemical methods and can lead to new industrially outstanding materials. It is nowadays a vast exciting field of industrial and academic research opening up new frontiers. In this context, an emerging and important methodology for the rapid exploration of composition-pressure-temperature-time space is the in situ method by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. This review introduces the latest advances of high-pressure devices that are adapted to X-ray diffraction in synchrotrons. It focuses particularly on the “large volume” presses (able to compress the volume above several mm3 to pressure higher than several GPa) designed for in situ exploration and that are suitable for discovering and scaling the stable or metastable compounds under “traditional” industrial pressure range (3–8 GPa). We illustrated the power of such methodology by (i) two classical examples of “reference” superhard high-pressure materials, diamond and cubic boron nitride c-BN; and (ii) recent successful in situ high-pressure syntheses of light-element compounds that allowed expanding the domain of possible application high-pressure materials toward solar optoelectronic and infra-red photonics. Finally, in the last section, we summarize some perspectives regarding the current challenges and future directions in which the field of in situ high-pressure synthesis in industrial pressure scale may have great breakthroughs in the next years.

A multi-period optimization model for the design of mass networks including conversion systems and gas storage models: Application for hydrogen generation, distribution and storage

A multi-period mixed-integer-linear-programming problem for the design of mass networks is proposed in this paper. Design of mass networks, conversion systems and storages is done so as to minimize the capital expenses and operating costs and fulfill demand in resources. This work provides a detailed model of compressed gas storage, considering pressure state inside gas tank, compression costs and compressor design, which have not been considered before in a linear model, with a discrete pressure scale. The performance of the model is assessed on a hydrogen network design problem, including renewable electricity, electrolyzer design and hydrogen storage. The share of renewable electricity use increases from 60% to 90% with hydrogen storage. Different compressed gas storage linearized models are compared with different pressure scales and the linearization error is assessed. The introduction of discrete intermediate pressures reduces the committed error on compressor power and operating costs, due to the linearization.

The impact of mixing treatments on cloud modelling in 3D simulations of hot Jupiters

ABSTRACT We present results of 3D hydrodynamical simulations of HD209458b including a coupled, radiatively active cloud model (eddysed). We investigate the role of the mixing by replacing the default convective treatment used in previous works with a more physically relevant mixing treatment (Kzz) based on global circulation. We find that uncertainty in the efficiency of sedimentation through the sedimentation factor fsed plays a larger role in shaping cloud thickness and its radiative feedback on the local gas temperatures – e.g. hotspot shift and day-to-night side temperature gradient – than the switch in mixing treatment. We demonstrate using our new mixing treatments that simulations with cloud scales that are a fraction of the pressure scale height improve agreement with the observed transmission spectra, the emission spectra, and the Spitzer 4.5 µm phase curve, although our models are still unable to reproduce the optical and ultraviolet transmission spectra. We also find that the inclusion of cloud increases the transit asymmetry in the optical between the east and west limbs, although the difference remains small ($\lesssim 1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$).

Участие в фитнес-блогах как новая социальная практика и ее последствия для психического здоровья молодых женщин

Fitness blogging and fitness marathons are becoming a popular social practice, especially among young women. Although these practices are claimed to provide health benefits, in reality they pose serious risks to the participants’ mental wellbeing. The paper focuses on a study aimed at the analysis of the level and factors of mental distress in female fitness blog subscribers, and the dynamics of their emotional wellbeing in the course of fitness marathons. A total of 112 women aged 18 to 35 years old, with a mean age of 23.5 (SD=4.7), participated in the study. All the respondents were Instagram fitness blog subscribers. The following methods were used in the study: Physical perfectionism scale [8]; Situational Inventory of Body-Im- age Dysphoria [14]; Perceived sociocultural pressure scale [3]; Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [9]; Beck’s Depression Inventory [17]; N.G. Garanyan and A.B. Kholmogorova’s Three-Factor Perfectionism Questionnaire [1]. Received data testify that young women who spent on Instagram over 60 minutes a day differed from those who spent maximum 30 minutes online by significantly higher levels of excessive body standards and body dissatisfaction, and a greater severity of emotional maladjustment symptoms, including suicidal tendencies. The regression analysis showed that physical and general perfectionism as well as social anxiety and depression symptoms had the most significant effect on an increase in body dissatisfaction levels. After completion of a fitness marathon, women had significant increases in body dissatisfaction and emotional problems. Further research is needed to identify targets that would help to prevent the emotional maladjustment which occur as a result of young women’s engagement in fitness blogging.

Prenatal hypoxia affects scaling of blood pressure and arterial wall mechanics in the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina

In reptiles, exposure to hypoxia during embryonic development affects several cardiovascular parameters. These modifications may impose different mechanical stress to the arterial system, and we speculated that the arterial wall of major outflow vessels would be modified accordingly. Since non-crocodilian reptiles possess a partially divided ventricle, ensuing similar systemic and pulmonary systolic pressures, we investigated how morphological and mechanical properties of segments from the left aortic arch (LAo) and the proximal and distal segments of the left pulmonary artery (LPAp and LPAd, respectively) change as body mass (Mb) increases. Eggs from common snapping turtles, Chelydra serpentina, were incubated under normoxia (21% O2; N21) or hypoxia (10% O2; H10), hatched and maintained in normoxia thereafter. Turtles (0.11–6.85 kg) were cannulated to measure arterial pressures, and an injection of adrenaline was used to increase pressures. Portions of the LAo, LPAp and LPAd were fixed under physiological hydrostatic pressures for histology and mechanical assessment. Arterial pressures increased with Mb for N21 but not for H10. Although mechanical and functional characteristics from the LPAp and LPAd were similar between N21 and H10, wall thickness from LAo did not change with Mb in the H10 group, thus wall stress increased in larger turtles. This indicates that larger H10 turtles probably experience an elevated probability of arterial wall rupture without concomitant changes in the cardiovascular system to prevent it. Finally, collagen content of the LPAp and LAo was smaller than in LPAd, suggesting a more distensible arterial wall could attenuate higher pressures from larger turtles.

The Sandwich Mode for Vertical Shear Instability in Protoplanetary Disks

Abstract Turbulence has a profound impact on the evolution of gas and dust in protoplanetary disks (PPDs), from driving the collisions and the diffusion of dust grains, to the concentration of pebbles in giant vortices, thus, facilitating planetesimal formation. The vertical shear instability (VSI) is a hydrodynamic mechanism, operating in PPDs if the local rate of thermal relaxation is high enough. Previous studies of the VSI have, however, relied on the assumption of constant cooling rates, or neglected the finite coupling time between the gas particles and the dust grains. Here, we present the results of hydrodynamic simulations of PPDs with the PLUTO code that include a more realistic thermal relaxation prescription, which enables us to study the VSI in the optically thick and optically thin parts of the disk under consideration of the thermal dust-gas coupling. We show the VSI to cause turbulence even in the optically thick inner regions of PPDs in our two- and three-dimensional simulations. The collisional decoupling of dust and gas particles in the upper atmosphere and the correspondingly inefficient thermal relaxation rates lead to the damping of the VSI turbulence. Long-lived anticyclonic vortices form in our three-dimensional simulation. These structures emerge from the turbulence in the VSI-active layer, persist over hundreds of orbits and extend vertically over the whole extent of the turbulent region. We conclude that the VSI leads to turbulence and the formation of long-lived dust traps within ±3 pressure scale heights distance from the disk midplane.

Methods of parental treatment as perceived by children and its relationship to family pressure among high school students in Dammam: أساليب المعاملة الوالدية كما يدركها الأبناء وعلاقتها بالضغط الأسري لدى طلاب الثانوية بالدمام

This study aimed to reveal the relationship between the methods of parental treatment represented in (discrimination, control, dominance, fluctuation, overprotection, and normal treatment methods) as perceived by children and its relationship to family pressure among high school students in Dammam. The research used the relational descriptive approach, and the study tool was two scales, the first was to measure the methods of parental treatment (Abdul-Maqsoud, 1999) and the second, the family pressure scale for adolescents and youth (Abdul-Maqsoud, 2002), and the two scales were applied to a sample of (100 students) of high school students in Dammam. The results of this research revealed that: there was a negative correlation between the method of overprotection -in the methods of treatment of the father -and family pressure, and no statistically significant relationship between the method of overprotection -in the methods of treatment of the mother- and family pressure. Based on the results of the study, the researcher proposed a number of suggestions, the most important of which were: taking a number of important educational and advisory steps in order to confront the research problem, and carrying out some academic studies related to methods of parental treatment and family pressure.

Fear of Childbirth and Associated Risk Factors in Healthy Pregnant Women in Northwest of China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AimFear of childbirth (FOC) is an extreme state of anxiety, distress and worry about childbirth. Despite its common occurrence, the prevalence and risk factors for FOC are inadequately understood in the northwestern region of China.PurposeThis study aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors for fear of childbirth (FOC) in a cohort of pregnant women in northwest of China.Patients and MethodsA total of 922 healthy pregnant women were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants filled out a questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, as well as the Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire (CAQ), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Pregnancy Pressure Scale (PPS). Psychosocial factors were analyzed to determine their association with fear of childbirth. Optimal scale regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors associated with FOC.ResultsThe mean score on the CAQ was 33.92 ± 10.17. A total of 72% of participants reported low to mild FOC. Six percent (n=51/922) and 22% (n=199/922) of pregnant women reported severe and moderate FOC, respectively. Based on optimal scaling regression analysis, the factors most strongly associated with FOC were residence, marital status, parity, gestational age, relationship with partner, pregnancy stress, social support and depressive symptoms.ConclusionThis study indicates the high prevalence of FOC (70.3%, ranging from mild to severe) in healthy pregnant women in northwest of China. FOC showed a positive correlation with pregnancy-related stress and depressive symptoms and a negative correlation with social support. Screening for FOC and helping pregnant women identify a support system early in pregnancy could reduce a woman’s stress level and severity of depression.